Participial Phrases

Types of Participles

Present Participle (-ing)

• walk → walking
• run → running
• speak → speaking

Past Participle (-ed / irregular)

• walk → walked
• break → broken
• write → written

Present Participial Phrases

Beginning of sentence

• Walking through the park, I saw a deer.
• Feeling tired, she went to bed early.
• Not knowing what to do, he asked for help.

End of sentence

• The children ran outside, laughing and shouting.
• She sat by the window, reading a book.
• He left the room, slamming the door.

Past Participial Phrases

Beginning of sentence

• Exhausted from the journey, they fell asleep immediately.
• Written in 1605, the play is still performed today.
• Surprised by the news, she didn’t know what to say.

End of sentence

• The letter, written in French, was difficult to understand.
• The treasure, hidden for centuries, was finally discovered.
• The building, damaged by the earthquake, needs repairs.

Combining Ideas

Instead of two sentences:

• The man was sitting on the bench. He was feeding the pigeons.

Use a participial phrase:

• Sitting on the bench, the man was feeding the pigeons.
• The man, sitting on the bench, was feeding the pigeons.

Avoiding Dangling Modifiers

Incorrect (dangling modifier)

• ❌ Walking to school, the rain started. (Who was walking? Not the rain!)

Correct

• ✓ Walking to school, I got caught in the rain.
• ✓ While I was walking to school, the rain started.

Practice Examples

“Encouraged by her success, and having completed her training, Maria started her own business, hoping to help others.”

• Encouraged by her success - past participial phrase
• having completed her training - perfect participial phrase
• hoping to help others - present participial phrase

Quiz